Scion's Grimoire
by MKTerra
Summary: In the future, humanity is not as defined as today... Science has gone to unbelievable levels, and the power of magic is a major driving force for religion and the scientific community... Conflict is inevitable. What side is right or wrong...? Original!
1. Chapter 1

AN:Alright, I know I've kind of vanished for a while AND I should really be working on my Naruto fanfic and what have you, but this is a project of mine that I've been just anxious to do for a while. Years, actually, and having people that aren't my friends IRL critique it will help out a lot. And yes, I'm aware I need a beta.

This is a completely original story. All characters are mine unless mentioned in an AN, as well as story plot, and pretty much the gist of it. If someone wants to beta this or get involved in my project at all, send me a PM and we'll talk turkey.

I couldn't find a spot for original stuff, so I figured, "What the hell, why not? Let's put it here." and it's in mythology... There's a lot of mythology in this so it's not a total lie...

Disclaimer: I OWN SCION'S GRIMOIRE! IF I OR ONE OF MY MINIONS FINDS SCION'S GRIMOIRE CONTENT MADE WITHOUT MY APPROVAL, I **_WILL NOT HESITATE TO HUNT YOU DOWN._** This is not a joke, as hard as I've worked on this whole thing and the number of rewrites I've done over the past 5 years, including all the drawings, I feel a certain right is associated with it.

Let's get the show on the road!!!! Review a lot, please! I need it....

Scion's Grimoire

Chapter 1--- I am _______.....

Everything was white…. Pure endless white…. As far as the eye could see, everything was white.

_"What would you do…?"_

"Huh?"

_"What would you do…?"_

"Who the hell is this?!"

_"To protect…"_

"I… I…."

_"Those you hold dear…?"_

A screech woke the young person from his dream, followed by a few shouts and curses. His wild brown hair blown about by the breeze, and seemingly glowing green eyes scanning the area rapidly, he sighed and looked about one last time before yawning.

"_What the hell was that dream about…? That made less sense than the usual dreams that I have… That's odd…"_

Another reptilian screech followed by yet more curses jolted him from his reverie. He stood up on the tree branch he was napping on and put his hand to his head to get some glare out of his eyes.

"_Gah… Lost 'em…" _

He hopped down from the tree, about a 30 feet fall, this would send a normal person to a hospital if they were normal, but this young man is anything but normal. With a loud thud, he landed with a small loss of balance before quickly catching himself.

"So…. The drake is headed…." Another screech was uttered east from where he was. "… Towards Alexandria…. Great…" he deadpanned. He checked the gauntlet on his left arm, a high tech weapon called a 'power fist'. It amplifies his physical capabilities by utilizing his mana to augment muscles and bones to inhuman levels. Not saying that he wasn't already strong, his body was incredibly fit and athletic, wearing a sleeveless spandex shirt, and tan combat pants, he could get any lady drooling.

"_WHY_ Alexandria…? The number of people there make it too hard for me to fight like I normally do…" He looked around for something, and realized he left something up in the tree he was sleeping in. He smacked the trunk of the tree "lightly" and knocked something out.

"Can't leave without my sword here…" he commented to himself as he caught it and strapped the large blade to his back. "Carbon steel is kinda hard to come by in this part of Ci'el… Gotta make it last for a while."

"CATCH UP TO THAT LITTLE SHIT!!!!"

"LITTLE?! THAT THING IS WAAAY BIGGER THAN MARTIN SAID IT WOULD BE!!!!"

"Stop your complaining and catch up, before either IT gets away, or HE beats us to it!!!"

"Damn damn damn!!! It's getting away!!!"

The young man had run into these 4 men while he himself was trying to catch up to the beast. He knew what they were here for, and smirked about what was about to happen.

"Pardon me, but what's getting away…?" he asked as innocently and naively as possible.

"Oh, it's that damn drake we've been chasing for the last week. That drake marquis is a bitch to catch up to." One of the scruffy men answered. "What are you doing in these part of the woods, kid? It's dangerous out here."

"Oh, nothing. I was on my way to Alexandria, actually… But then I heard all this screeching. So that was a drake marquis?" he responded while still wearing the façade of idiocy that he just put on.

"Yeah, nasty bastard… I feel kind of bad that we have to chase him to Alexan…" the man finally realized who he was talking to when he turned around.

"I-i-i-it's YOU!!!!" he stammered/yelled out.

"Who?! WHERE?!" the youth mock panicked, looking around. "SHOW YOURSELF, YOU!!!!"

"It's you!!! It's Albert Vitrussi…" he stated as he reached for his weapon.

"Oh that. Yup!" Albert grinned cheekily while waving. The closest man took a swing at Albert, which he ducked under, and socked the man in the stomach with his power fist arm, then jump flipped over the 3 still standing.

"Later! Gotta kick some drake ass, maybe I'll kick yours some other time?" he said while waving and running off.

"OoOoOoOoooooooooooooooOoO…………………."

The 3 men left standing remained as such with their jaws agape.

"Dammit!!! I wanted to get that drake BEFORE this happened!!!" the leader of the group exclaimed after a half minute of silence. "Martin _specifically_ warned us about him too!"

Meanwhile, half a mile away, Albert goes over what he learned.

_Well, so they were purposely routing the drake towards Alexandria… What is Shigei Corporation getting at by doing this? As easily as I dispatched that goon and left the rest behind, they don't stand a chance against the Marquis… Well, not without an army of them, mercs, the City Militia, or any nearby Templars… And that would decimate the part of town that they fight it in… Unless…_ Albert gasped in realization.

"They want the local militia and the mercenaries to look bad!!! Damn!" He yelled out loud. "Shigei Corporation wants to get more business by intervening when things look bad…!"

_Although there is no law against that… A lot of people are going to get hurt and property damage will be high. I won't accept that! … Ehm… I'm not the tidiest of fighters either… But… My intervention--- that I was gonna do anyway--- will be required even more now… I hope everything on Reis' end is coming along well…_ Albert continues his musings even as he dashes towards Alexandria in the hopes of preventing as much loss of life and damage as possible.

It's a relatively nice day in Alexandria, the large port city is on the southern tip of the continent of Ci'el, which is along Forcena's equator, so they enjoy sunny, warm days throughout much of the year. Since airships dominate travel and trade on Forcena, the seaport is relatively free of commercial ship traffic, unless they are headed towards Hama-Shima, which has no airship docks. At a small juice bar in the market plaza, two friends are conversing.

"Man, today's a lot cooler than yesterday." The one on the left stool says.

"Yeah, it's pretty nice. The breeze isn't being blocked by the Vauxhalls, so we should enjoy it while it lasts." the other replies cheerfully. The other man nods in approval before taking another swig of his drink and setting it down.

"Shigei Corporation is setting up another branch of their company…" the first one states after a minute of silence.

"Really?" the other one replies in surprise. "Why? Isn't there one in Pe'ell already? Why do they need one here?" The first man simply shrugs while taking another sip.

"Hell if I know how businesses like that one work…" He snorts from his glass. A calm, male voice answers from behind the two.

"Money." the two men turn on their stools to look at the newcomer. "Ruthless corporations like that one, want two things."

"What would those be?" the second man asks while looking over the man. He has long blonde hair that stops at his back, a long flowing white robe that could be possibly used in battle, a headband with a strange emblem on it consisting of 3 squares turned on their vertices, a black pauldron on his left shoulder, a black bracer on his right hand, and a ceremonial staff in his hands. His eyes were that bright green, the eye color of every Avalean. He sat down next to the men and motioned for a menu.

"Money isn't one of them. Nearly every corporation wants money, that's widely known and acknowledged." the priestly man said. After setting his staff down, he continues with his explanation.

"What groups like Shigei want, is as much power as they can get. Gained legally or not, they don't care. The other thing they want is a high position in society, whether it be government or something else." his drink arrives and he puts some credits on the counter.

"Why is that, priest?" the first man asks. The priest takes a drink and lets out a contented sigh.

"Needed that…" the priest turns to them and continues. "The higher up on the food chain they are in business or government, the harder it is to get rid of them should they do something… Inexcusable."

"Makes sense."

"Yeah, it does."

At this moment, a loud reptilian screech is heard. The priest raises an eyebrow, while the two other men's eyes widen in surprise.

"Hm. A drake…" the priest states simply. The two men look at him with the same look on their faces. A loud crash is heard, followed by a scream from a young woman.

"Hm. An angry drake…" the priest adds casually before taking another sip like nothing is going on.

"EEEEEEEEAAAAAAA!!!!!!"

"Crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap!!!!" a flustered and out of breath Albert curses as he is running into town. He spots a bar as he is running and asks a question really quickly.

"Hey!!! Which way did that scream come from?!" he pants out. The priest gives him a brief look and returns to his juice. The other two point down the road at the same time. Albert nods and yells out a thanks before running off in a cloud of dust. The two uttered a synchronized "uh…" and looked at each other. The priest calmly finished his drink, grabbed his staff and stood up to leave.

"This should prove… Well, entertaining. It was a pleasure, gentlemen." he then seemingly flickers and disappears from sight."

"…."

"…. I gotta stop drinking so much juice at this hour…"

_N-no!!! How did I end up in this situation…!_

A young woman in green, loose fitting clothing was on her behind, and trying to move away from the object of her current fear. A large drake is currently walking towards her on its hind legs, growling menacingly and baring its teeth.

"Why did I choose today to go shopping…?! Ohhhhhhh... Am… Am I gonna die right here…?" the girl stares at the drake, no longer backing away since she's against a stone wall. The drake marquis makes a screech and prepares to attack with its claws.

"Force Spear!!!"

Out of nowhere, or rather, from down the street, a beam of yellow white energy slams into the side of the drake's torso, launching it into a cart selling miniature trees.

"Who…?" the woman asked to no one in particular.

"Christ on crutches that was close!!!" holding his left hand out, smoke freely wafting upwards from the hand an exhausted and relieved Albert is standing while leaning against a vegetable stand. _Note to self: damn._ Albert thought to himself.

Scanning the area, he looked for the young woman who was about to become dinner for that oversized flying lizard. Spotting her, he jogs over and offers his hand to help her up.

"You okay? Shit on a stick that was close… Sorry about that. What's your name?" The young woman just sat there, against the wall, in partial shock trying to gather her mind together. She then noticed Albert's hand and used it to help herself up.

"R-Rebecca…. My name is Rebecca… And…" she responds. Then she starts crying and tackles Albert in a bone crushing hug. "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! OH!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!"

"Can't…." *cough* "Breathe…. Need… Air….." Realizing what she was doing she lets him go and bows in embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry! I was so scared… I really thought that was it for me…" she admits. Albert then catches his breath, and draws his sword. Rebecca eyes widen in fear. _Oh no!!! He's a psycho!!! HE'S GONNA KILL ME! I WAS RESCUED BY THE RESCUER SERIAL KILLER! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!_

"It's not dead… Not by a long shot… You should get back." taking a stance he looked over his shoulder and grinned. "This might get messy for you." Rebecca let out a breath that she was holding in her odd panic attack and looked toward the rubble before nodding her head in agreement. She then jogged towards the crowd that had gathered due to all the loud noises and pretty light.

"Huh. You're a big boy, you know that? Drakes from this area don't really get this big, OR wander into cities of this size… Oh well… I already know why you're here. I'm sorry that I have to kill you, but it has to be done!"

The drake let out a screech and took off towards Albert. Not surprised by the charge, he rolled to his left, and fired off a spell that he uses when there are civilians nearby.

"Prism Arrow!" he yelled to enhance his focus. A crystalline arrow made of light elemental magic congealed by his body, and he motioned with his left hand for it to fly towards his foe. The drake attempted to dodge, but was hit in the wing, disabling its ability to fly. Another reward that was received was a very loud screech, courtesy of the reptilian pin cushion.

"Hm… I tink I made it maaaaaad!!!" Albert sung in a child's voice and was promptly given the gift of a tail to the chest. The crowd winced and went "oooh…" as Albert's body flew into a nearby stand.

"Ow… That… Didn't feel good…" he said while freeing himself from the rubble. "That tail's got some force behind it…" the drake saw his chance and lunged forward to bite Albert. In response, he raised his sword and the drake chomped down on that. The two were locked in a power struggle that was evenly matched.

_This'll change this little stalemate…_ Albert thought. Then, the power fist on Albert's left arm started to make a whirring noise and the gaps between plating started to glow lightly, as it started gathering mana.

"Now!" pulling the sword back with his right hand freeing it from the drake's jaws, he pulled his left arm back and went to punch the drake in its armored face, but it managed to partially dodge the blow, only being scraped by Albert's knuckles. The fist continued on, and Albert struck the ground near the drake with the force of a wrecking ball, creating a shockwave that knocked it off its feet and caused a few light wounds from shrapnel being blown about.

A collective gasp was heard from the crowd at the display of raw strength that this young man was exhibiting from a simple punch. Bleeding lightly in several places, and somewhat freely from the wing, the drake screeched again, and prepared to strike the open young man with its claws. Seeing that he wouldn't be able to move in time on his own, Albert blasted the ground with a Force Spear where his left hand was, giving him momentum to move quickly and near instantly. His glove suffered minor burns from the close range blast, but he managed to dodge the sharp claws of the marquis.

"Too close…" he said. "Good thing I remembered I could do that…"

"Albert!" Albert turned his head, it was Rebecca. "You can do it! SMASH THAT THING!!!!" Grinning, he nods and pulls his sword into a different stance. A slight glow covered the sword, and swinging in a diagonal upwards arc, a crescent beam of energy was flung at the drake. Surprised, he couldn't dodge it and was struck in the chest. Albert readied another Blade Beam and advanced on the stunned beast. When he reached within 7 feet of the reptile, he flung the beam and readied a much more powerful spell from his repertoire.

"That's a pretty strong spell he's casting…!" Rebecca observed. "That should finish the job!" The drake was stunned and wobbling around, trying to regain its senses and balance.

"Crush foes in a beam of infinite power!" the brown haired youth chanted, as more light elemental mana flowed to his hand. "Light Halberd!"

The winged reptile did not see it coming. A large beam of light elemental energy blasted forth from Albert's left hand, striking him in the chest. Enveloped in an explosion, the drake marquis was obliterated. The crowd looked on eagerly in earnest to see what, if anything, survived.

"Did he…. Do it?" a random citizen asked out loud. Hearing the person, Albert turned and shrugged apologetically. When the dust finally cleared, a bloodied, smoking corpse was seen in a crater. The crowd erupted into cheers and girls swarmed forward to hug their new hero. One of them was Rebecca.

"Oh crap…!" he exclaimed in fear. "Where's Reis when I need herrrr!!!!!???" Albert can be seen running away from his new fan club, the crowd being led by the young woman who he had saved.

"Heh heh heh heh heh." The priest saw the ongoing shenanigans and chuckles to himself. "He's got talent, that boy does. With a little refining and practice, he'll likely be the best." At this, the priest turned and headed towards the exit of Alexandria. To where, who knows?

_I have a strong feeling that I'll see you again, and we'll have the chance to chat then. I look forward to it. Don't die before then._


	2. Chapter 2

Scion's Grimoire

Chapter 2 Delving into the Conspiracy

"A shame, Martin… The plan failed. I thought your men were more capable than that…? I know you yourself could have handled it alone, but I apologize for taking you away from that. That was my mistake." A monitor is being watched in a tall tower, with the audience an imposing male Neko-Kin. The speaker is a man sitting at a desk, darkness obscuring his features, with his hands folded under his chin.

"President Shigei, if I may…" Martin asked, to which the other man motioned to continue. "You see, we had… Interference… From an all too common thorn in your side in regards to southern Ci'el."

"Oh? Was it him again?" A nod from Martin. "Well… Then I shall send more… _Help_… To deal with him."

"What of his brother, or that guardian, Johnny?" Martin asks.

"His brother is in the Order, and Johnny succumbed to Necrophisis 4 years ago. That information was hidden very well by that lazy fool Diomedes as soon as it came to his attention, and I never asked for a formal investigation to be performed, so do not blame yourself."

"And what about _him_?" Martin motions towards a man wearing a black cloak. The shadow from the hood obscures every facial feature. He is also wearing a visor that conceals his eyes from view. "The guy really creeps me out."

"Oh, I'm creepy am I? I can hear you quite well over here…" he responded with a voice that oozed superiority and power. "Please consider the other party's… Feelings… Before making statements like that. However I take being 'creepy' as a compliment."

"Deimos was sent by Rising Dusk as a token of goodwill for our alliance." Deimos performs a sweeping bow.

"At your service." After the introductions, Martin's mind is assaulted with questions. He didn't get to his standing, nor has he lived as long as he has by being stupid. There was something… Off about the cloaked man… As if his very presence was twisting the room's atmosphere into something sinister. He did not like it.

"Will Deimos be necessary?" He asked after some thought.

"He is under your command as long as I see fit." President Shigei got up from his desk and walked in front of it. "If I think your presence is needed elsewhere, Deimos will be placed in command. Is that understood?"

"Yes it is."

"Good then, now to other business…."

"AUUUGH!!!! Those girls were relentless!!!" a worse for wear Albert wails.

"Hee hee hee! I know, you would think that _they_ were the ones you rescued from death!" A laughing Rebecca says. Albert gives a death glare, the effect lost due to the lipstick "wounds" plastered all over his face, to which Rebecca burst into even harder laughter.

"… And _YOU_ started a fan club for me when I was in the middle of that!" he yells.

"Yeah! Got a lot of members too!" Rebecca quips cheerfully. "As soon as they were done paying their respect to you!"

"Pfft… 'spect my ass…"

"I'm sure they did that too…" Cue another failed death glare from Albert followed by uncontrollable laughter from Rebecca. "And then there was some really weird looking guys in there too… Wonder why?" Albert stares incredulously. _Is she serious…?_

"Someone groped me in a few inappropriate places too… And I'm pretty sure it was one of those guys!!!" He cries in anguish.

"I hath been scarred… Forsooth, for thou shalt feel thy wrath of Reisaria Artea…" He cries with his arm covering his eyes. "She is SO gonna kill me…"

"Reis…. Is she your girlfriend?" She asks innocently. _Aw HELL no!!! NO SKANK IS GONNA TAKE THIS PIECE OF HEAVEN AWAY FROM ME!!! NOT WITHOUT A FIGHT!!!_

"What, Reis? Naw, she's a good friend of mine from Tirias. She's really pretty, but we don't think of each other like that. Along with Soturo, we usually take care of the place, do odd jobs, and remove problems that happen in that area." Albert explains while wiping his face off with a cloth.

"But I know what you're getting at, and I'm not quite ready to date anyone yet. I probably won't be for years. I have too much to do…" Feeling bad at the somber change to the conversation, Albert decided to ask some questions of his own.

"So Rebecca, by your clothing I have to guess that you are an ascetic?" A nod from Rebecca in response. "Then why did you not fight back? I'm curious. You don't look weak… Wait, you don't have a rod, do you?" Rebecca laughed nervously while scratching the back of her head with one hand and giving the peace sign with the other.

"Heheheheh…. The last one I had… I… Er…." She seemed somewhat hesitant and embarrassed to explain what had happened to it. "I… Kinda… Dropped it… Somewhere… That isn't here…."

"Oh, is that all? Well, I can take care of that. Rods aren't that expensive and I have some extra credits floating in my pockets, so let's go see the weapon synthesist." He started to take off, but noticed Rebecca's hesitation.

"What…? Don't be like that!" he cheered. "C'mon! It's not a problem, really!" Rebecca sighed and smiled, then jogged to catch up with Albert.

Martin is walking down a hall with right hand on his chin. _I still don't get it. Rising Dusk? Why would they send support to Hanatarou…? And why do I feel so uncomfortable around that man… Deimos… What is it…?_

Reaching a door, he roused himself from his thoughts to enter the code into the pad. He got an error after inputting the code. _Eh… I always forget the code to this door._

Martin started rummaging through a pocket on his coat. He then pulled out a keycard and swiped it through the lock. There was a beep, and the door opened and closed with a mechanical whirr as he stepped into the room. A look around the room reminded him that this was the negotiation room, though to anyone who didn't work for Hanatarou Shigei, it was a lounge with lots of comfy chairs and a brilliant view of the Gorilgi capitol city, Kiesis through the windows.

_Why did Shigei call me back to Kiesis? I was about to go through the gate to Forcena when he called me here. He didn't need Deimos though, so I sent him off ahead… Good riddance._

Martin was careful about the couch he sat on, as the half of the couches in that room have a magic diffuser that affects those sitting on that particular sofa. The purpose of them was to make the one Shigei was negotiating with to feel uncomfortable and intimidated so as to give in and be able to get out as quickly as possible. 95% of the time, it is an absolute success, as most of the clients and associates that Shigei has in here have no talent for detecting artifices like those.

The only good thing about them is that the effect disappears about 5 minutes after removal from the sofa, and it has no permanent physical or mental ramifications. Can't say the same for the status of the victim's company or wallet when they leave. Poor SOBs never see what's coming.

_Must be another negotiation with Gotou and his mercenaries. Gotou isn't a big fan of the president, but money talks. It always has._ Martin put a leg up on the table and looked out to the bustling mega-city. The atmosphere around Gorilgi has a metallic dust in it that causes the whole planet to appear to be at dusk during the daytime. While beautiful, it also can be depressing to some.

_Small wonder how the dust is held up in the Troposphere like that… Oh! Nebiros Utada and Kalsh are visible today… That makes 3 out of 7of Gorilgi's moons…_

Martin was roused from his sky gazing when he heard the door open, and boots clanking against the floor.

_ Huh. Gotou, just as I predicted. I wonder what's going on…?_ Gotou walked over to a sofa, and sat down. He then rolled his eyes and got up to go sit on another one.

"So, you noticed that too, eh?" Martin says, attempting to make small talk. "It's one of the President's own inventions. Unpleasant, but effective." Gotou smirks and fiddles with his left arm. He pulled up a part of "skin" and a small Multi-tool and started making some adjustments.

"Oh, that? It doesn't work on me, though the Bio-Electric field that's generated by the magic device messes with my arm… Especially in the nerve endings and diagnostics systems." Gotou explains. "This arm is the one I use in public. You like?"

"It _is_ nice… Though I believe you haven't shown it to me before… Is it new? What are it's capabilities? It's pretty inconspicuous. I like that." Martin says. Gotou smiles while opening another panel and fiddling with its mechanics.

"Oh, I just bought this one a little while ago. It's Templar made, designed by Augustus himself. It's not really designed for combat, which is surprising considering the man's personality, but I like it." Gotou answers. "The actuators are sturdy and reliable, with good response times. The computer is spectacular; it makes everything work nearly like my old arm, perfect for doing normal tasks."

"Oh, sounds like a good buy. Are there any other limbs that can be bought, because the old leg that I bought in Arthias needs to be replaced, and I can't find one that has good enough performance and blends in as well…" Martin muses. "I like it, but replacement parts are hard to come by, as they discontinued this model around 150 years ago… And I've had it since it was brand new." At this, the door opened and Hanatarou Shigei walked in the room.

"Good day, gentlemen." The two other men nod their heads in response. "I'm sorry for calling you away from your current duty, but it would be better if you were here for this."

"Well, it's a good thing you caught me before I boarded the ship."

"Quite. Now, Gotou, I have a proposition for you." Gotou raised an eyebrow and motioned for him to continue. "Concerning the current operation on Gorilgi, I have decided to provide a few sentinels that we have just produced, including one of the Prototype models of the G814-ATLAS."

"Prototype models...? What's the catch here." Gotou questions. "I hope you don't expect it back in pristine condition."

"Of course not. You may keep it as well. There is nothing wrong with it, if you're wondering, but I _would_ like all of the data from the operations; such as computer data, structural data, weapon data, motor data, the like. Is that fair?"

"Data, huh? Seems fair enough to me. What is its classification?"

"It's an assault class, best we've made. I was looking for a practical test for it in a _real_ operation, not some flimsy simulation." Shigei explains. "I would also like notes from whomever pilots the machine with their opinions on the machine, or complaints."

"Deal." Gotou shakes Shigei's hand to seal the deal. "Now, you were talking about other sentinels…?"

"Right." Shigei motions to Martin. "Martin, your turn."

"Alright then. There are several platoons of the machines that we can offer." Martin starts looking through a coat pocket for something, but Shigei hands him a Sphere, which he accepts with a thanks. He pushes a button on the table, and inserts the sphere into a slot. Martin pulls out a controller, and presses a few buttons. The holographic machine started displaying several different sentinel models.

"Well, we are providing several squads of LRB3-HOLLANDARs,

LRS4-DONNERs, LBS12-DALTONs, and GH2-PLATZERs." Martin explains while pressing buttons. "These are well equipped with their top of the line equipment and fully loaded, ready for deployment at any time."

"Those aren't kid's toys…" Gotou muses aloud. "You must really want this plan to succeed…"

"Of course. This is critical to our success in the plan. Please continue doing your best."

"Not an issue, Mr. President"

"Would you like gift wrap for your purchase…?" A shop clerk asked.

_Who gift wraps weapons…?_ Albert muses to himself.

"Er… No thanks, I'll just take it as is." He nervously chuckles as he took a rod from the counter.

"That'll be 2312 Credits please." Albert nods and fishes out some bills and hands them to the clerk. She puts them into the register and smiled that cheesy, fake smile.

"At Monteisanto, we cater to your magical, protective, and blood splashing needs! We appreciate your business, please come again!" she recites to him.

"Ooookay, that sales pitch could use some work…" Albert deadpanned to himself while walking away. At the exit, a security guard scanned his receipt and examined the weapon.

"Aiyat Monteeesaiyanterr, we cayter ta yer maiyajicull, pruhtectmatiyuv, 'n faiyam'ly pertectamin… Pertectamin…. Per… uh…." Albert just takes his stuff.

"Yeah yeah." Albert says as he leaves. "Don't strain yourself, Scooter." _Couldn't handle any more of that… jeeze, what are their hiring standards…? If the equipment sold there wasn't as good as it is, I don't think anyone would shop there…!_

"Hey Albert, how did it go…?" Rebecca asks. Albert grimaces as he imagines the overzealous lady at the counter and the mentally challenged security guard, as well as the gift cards in the card section.

_I'll never figure out why there are gift cards for the deceased… The sad part is people actually BUY those things…_

"Oh, it went great!" He lied. He then remembered why he was in there to begin with. "Here's your rod, hope you didn't want it gift wrapped!" Rebecca squeals in delight, causing Albert to check his hearing and see if any windows were cracked.

"Um, ow…?"

"Hee hee… Sorry…!" She blushes and smiles. "I just have felt so lost without a rod, I'm practically useless without one!"

_Coulda fooled me… I bet that Kain heard that one…_

"Well, I have some more work to do… So I guess we should say good bye?" Albert asks.

"Um… If I may, could I travel with you? I have no home, because I always travel, and you DID save my life and bought this rod…" Rebecca closes her eyes. "And, I feel like I should at least try to help out in whatever way I can to repay you. I don't care if you don't think I owe you anything either…" Albert thought for a moment.

"Alright." He answered. "But, please don't get yourself hurt because of me."

"Gooot it!" she cheerfully responds.

"Alright… Well, we are going to have to wait so we can meet up with Reis for a few jobs that we have to do… So, welcome to the team!"


	3. Chapter 3

Scion's Grimoire

Chapter 3 Eh, it's a living…

_It's human nature to strive for conflict. There's no avoiding it no matter how much you've dedicated yourself to it. Humanity as a whole is never satisfied with what they have. There are those special few that are absolute true pacifists, but despite their popularity, there are people whose bloodlust of their own makes up for the void caused by those very few. Some ask "why can't we all just get along…?" and are just swept up into it all regardless. The truth is, life would be just too easy if there were no conflict at all. I don't love war, though I get bored if things are stagnant for too long. Others get bored too. The best we can hope for is a swift end to any war that does rear it's ugly head with as few casualties as possible._

-Gage Clampecht, Soh-Nohs Advisor,

March 17th, 150.1. AE

Jordiss Cafeteria, Harie Plaza, Alexandria: Albert is sitting in a chair at a table waiting for his food. Rebecca is too, though she is much more antsy about it, and is entertaining herself with the new ascetic's rod that Albert purchased for her.

"Eh….. Having fun there Rebecca…?" Albert asks in a deadpan. "You've been growing plants and making them disappear for…" He looks at his wrist-comp. "Seventeen minutes now."

"Hee hee! Well, I need to practice my magic now that I've got a rod!" She responds after growing a rainbow colored flower that had little smileys on it's petals. "HAH! Smiley faces rule!"

Albert sighs and shakes his head in exasperation.

"The food is ten minutes late…" Albert muses aloud, "and Reis is 2 hours late..." Something white splats on the table. "Aaaand a bird just crapped right in front of me… FanTASTIC…" He looks about for a napkin, but seeing none, he starts getting flustered.

"Waiter!!! I GOT A PRESENT FOR YA TO CLEAN UP!!!" He yells through a cupped hand. The received response is as follows: absolute silence. Albert could have heard a fly pass gas in that silence. "Oh, nevermind!" he yells back before furiously scrubbing the feces with a leaf that he tore from a plant that Rebecca had just sprouted from her salad, despite her protests about The Absolute Smiley.

"Well, how about this? Albert sitting at a table with another female…?" A feminine voice says. "Did I miss anything?" Albert stops scrubbing immediately and looks over at the lady that just spoke.

"Oh, thank GOD!!! REIS!!! I thought you would never get here today…" He joyfully yells out.

Rebecca stops playing with her salad and looks over the newcomer. _Hmm… CC-cup chest… Crap… Hourglass figure… Double Crap… Fit physique… Crap to the third power… Well, I'm screwed._ Rebecca starts mentally crying about her chances with Albert compared to the blue haired woman, despite what Albert had told her not even 3 hours ago. Reis had shoulder length blue hair, the standard Avalean Green eyes, an orange combat dress with a white scarf around her neck, and a longsword on her hip.

"So, what's our job Reis?" Albert asks. Met with silence, he knew what Reis was wondering. "Oh, this is Rebecca Halstadt. She's gonna be helping us out now, I hope you don't mind."

"Oh, not at all actually." She responds with a smile. "Soturo is busy, and we could use another hand for our work." Reis looks over the Smiley Rainbow Flower Salad Supreme and giggles. "You seem to have some talent with Gaea magic." Rebecca looks at her salad and blushes before turning it back to normal.

"Eheh, yeah I guess you could say that… I'm more of the healing and supporting type though." Rebecca says. Albert is once again cleaning up the bird scat with that leaf , muttering obscenities to himself about "crazy girls", "late food", and "damn birds and their atomic powered turds". Giving the unchanged poo-pile a death glare, he resigned himself to his fate.

"Hey, let's move to that table…" Albert suggests to the ladies. When they ask him why, he responds with, "Oh, no reason…" through clenched teeth.

"Anyway, Reis how did things come out on your end?"

"I thought you would never ask." She answers while pulling a package out of her satchel. "This is the reason I was so late, actually. I got some big dirt on Shigei in this folder here, though I had to cream some goons to get to it."

"Understandable. Do you know what their plans are? I've overheard that there will be an office put here in Alexandria, but beyond that I haven't a clue."

"Well, I'm not as good of a computer hacker as you Al, but with the codes you gave me as well as the tutoring, I managed to uncover their budget, as well as these little gems here..." Reis says before handing over a packet of pages from the envelope. Albert takes some time pouring them over and muttering to himself, making deductions and going over a few hypotheses in his mind.

"Well hot damn, Reis!" He finally says. "You've uncovered a whole illegal military operation! Good job! That old fart Gage would be dancing in his underwear at the top of the Soh-Nohs Palace if he got hold of this information! Haha!"

"I can't quite understand it though… The encrypting is much more difficult than what you've taught me…" Reis conceded. "Are you going to send this to Kain when you get the chance?"

"After I encrypt it in our own format, I will." Albert gets a gleam in his eyes. "Can't let it fall into the wrong hands, can we?"

During the exchange, Rebecca managed to order a drink and was happily slurping through the straw without a care in the world. She couldn't follow most of the conversation anyway, so she simply zoned out and took a trip to Tasty-Tasty-Drinky-Drinky Land. Reis seemed to have noticed this and decided to change the subject.

"Anyway, it seems we've lost Rebecca," At hearing her name, she looks over. "so we should talk about our latest job."

"Right. I already went and picked up the written request from the Guild that you had negotiated. You can thank me later." Albert says while pulling out a package. "I could most likely handle this myself, but being safe doesn't hurt." He pulls out the sheet of paper before continuing.

"The maintenance crew has lost contact with a whole generator block in the sewers, and when they sent a crew, they ran into some goblin resistance, along with a few other unsavory critters." He pauses, and makes sure the two women are following. "What we need to do is go in to the Alexandria Sewer system Municipal Entrance and find Block G36-A. Along the way, we are to clear out any Goblins or monsters that we find."

"When we reach the generator, 'we' are to reactivate it and perform several systems checks and make sure it is working properly." Albert continues. "By we, I mean myself because I'm best suited to that. Anyway, we are to report the source of the malfunction to the Head of Sanitation Services when we have left."

"If we can locate the source of the problem though, we will get a bonus if taken care of. Any questions?" He looks at them. "Okay then, lets get ready to go to the sewers then…"

"Hey um, Albert?" Rebecca timidly asks. "Is this the _sewer_ sewer, or are we like going through just a bunch of machinery…?"

"Pfft, hell if I know. Never been in that section." Albert responds. "Guess we'll find out then, eh?" A waiter comes by and puts the food on the table that Albert has been waiting for.

"FINally…" He declares. "My precious… MY PRECIOUS!!!!" The two young women looked on, mortified as Albert literally tore into the meal in an almost ritualistic barbarian fervor.

"The pasta never stood a chance…" Reis mutters.

ALEXANDRIA SEWER SYSTEM: MUNICIPAL ENTRANCE!!!

"Where is 'e? Tha' bra'll geh me boo' up the arse if 'e ain' 'ere in the nex' five mineh's!" A heavily accented man in a suit said. He looked at the transcript of the job and grunted in disapproval. Thinking back on why he let a couple kids take a job like this, he remembered the blue haired beauty that negotiated with him. Further thoughts resulted in a nose bleed and a lecherous smile that would make a baby cry.

"Aye… A bonnie lass, she was…" The man was broken from his perverse fantasy involving Reis, a blindfold, a pair of shoes, 36 credits, and a Byrroth by the aforementioned babe, a physically fit young man wearing a black polymer skin suit and a huge sword, and a young Siren ascetic that was not mentioned before. The brown haired man was at point in the small group and exuded the charisma of a natural born leader. Albert bowed briefly and held out his hand to shake, which the man did.

"Hi, I apologize for the delay." He says formally. "But the service at Jordiss was… Congested today. I'm Albert L. Vitrussi." The client nods in response.

"You met with Reisaria S. Artea for negotiations already." The accented man blushed profusely while starting to sweat. Reis cocked her head quizzically at the man's actions while Albert rolled his eyes and groaned inwardly while he was looking away.

"And this young lady is Rebecca F. Halstadt, a Gaean Ascetic." Albert continued, thanking the foresight he had to ask for Rebecca's middle name, for the sake of formality, something that even though he's quite good at, make him want to shoot himself in the foot with a photon gun.

"She just joined us today, and will be helping out." Albert finished. The large man grunted in response while undressing Rebecca with his eyes, something that the paranoid girl surprisingly didn't notice, but Albert did and cleared his throat loudly to get the lecherous man back on subject. The man reached in his pocket and handed Albert a keycard and a holo-board with basic information on the substructure of Alexandria, specifically where they were going to go, i.e Block G-36A.

"Ge' ih' dun. Ah dun want tae have tae send in anoth'r kid tae clean yeh up." The man says while the trio heads towards the door. Albert didn't even turn and acknowledge the comment, he simply raised his right hand in a sort of wave while keeping his left hand in his pants pocket.

Somewhere else on Forcena:

"Today's the day! Alright!" A female voice exclaimed cheerfully. "It's my eighteenth birthday!"

"Lady Yakyu, please calm down… It's unsightly for a shinobi of your stature and ranking to act in such a childish manner." An elven attendant said while bringing in a brown drakehide bustier and shoulder armor. A voluptuous elven woman with long green hair wearing nothing but pants and her blue polymer bodysuit sat down in a huff.

"Shiori, you're so stuffy! I can't celebrate being an adult?!" Yakyu complains. Met with silence from Shiori, Yakyu turned her head and held out her hand with an exasperated sigh.

"Please show some restraint when you go to meet with your uncle, my lady. You are a Hama-Shima shinobi and bearer of the same name." Shiori bowed gracefully and left silently. _I know it's tough to put up with me, my lady, but I only have the best intentions in mind for you… _Shiori thought to herself once she closed the screen door.

Yakyu proceeded to put on her armor.

"Phew! This chest piece is a little tight on my girls, but I'd be really unbalanced if I didn't wear it. They'd also bounce too much…" She mused aloud to herself. "As long as they don't end up popping out… Don't want that happening again..." She thought with a grimace.

"And that's where the bodysuit came into play… They gotta EARN the right to see em!!!" She says firmly, fire burning in her eyes and soul.

"…" Awkward silence, as she realizes what she just yelled out loud and turns a very interesting shade of crimson. _When I blush like this, I look like a tomato… My hair is green and looks like a bunch of leaves from far enough away… Eeeeegh. _Yakyu thinks to herself. Before she embarrasses herself any further, she put on the rest of her armor quickly, grabbed her ninja tools and put them in the large cargo pouches on her pants and belt, then grabbed the katana made by the blacksmith Amaname Koutetsu.

After everything was in place, the Koutetsu blade locked in it's sheathe, pockets buttoned, and hair band in its rightful place keeping her long emerald hair out of her eyes, she flipped gracefully out the window on to the roof of a large Japanese style building. She took a deep breath of the Hama-Shima air and smiled happily. The capitol city of the Hama-Shima Islands, Konpakuhime, much resembles the feudal Japanese cities and the twenty-first century combined, with aspects seen in Ci'el like some buildings floating in midair above water. Her large ears twitched slightly as she heard a bird of paradise sing in the distance. The local star Karasu lighting up the Forcenian skies made for a beautiful day.

"So, Uncle wanted to see me this morning..." Yakyu said quietly to herself. (Please note that even though it's midday where Albert is at, that's a different continent, one third of the way around the planet away, so the sun is just rising here. Toodles!)

Yakyu started stretching her legs and arms, then looked towards her destination, about two miles away from her current location. Smiling cheekily, she took off in a blur, leaping to another roof, landing gracefully before hopping quickly to another one. She ran across a clothesline without a second thought, and ran on the side of a wall when the opportunity presented itself simply for the fun of it.

Yes, Yakyu is a Kunoichi of Hama-Shima, an independent nation on the other side of Forcena, and she is the best of her generation. The only things that can match her speed are her skill with fire elemental ninjutsu and magic, along with her skill with a blade. It is her eighteenth birthday, and her Uncle has called for an audience with her. She reaches the large doors 3 minutes later, and pushes them open with ease. A man sitting in a small throne is waiting for her arrival and she bows politely.

"You wished to see me, Uncle?"

Anthony J. DePellegrini 12/7/2009 14:32:00 a12/p12 Page 5 of 5


	4. Chapter 4

Scion's Grimoire- Chapter 4

Alexandria's Underword

_"Wake me up after they've had their bottles…"_

--Emperor Soh-Nohs on the Senate

"Hrm… Seems pretty safe so far…"

"Reis, every time you say that something goes wrong!!!"

"What are you trying to say, Al…? That I'm bad luck…?"

"NO! I'm saying that saying _THAT_ is bad luck!!!"

"Are you sure it's not just your screaming?"

"…"

"What was that…?"

"… I'm going to prove myself right, so I'm being quiet now."

_Do they do this every time…?_ Rebecca thought. _They sound like… like… a COUPLE!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! I __**KNEW**__ I had no chance…!_

The party was shaken out of it by a bunch of growling noises coming from down a corridor. Albert didn't skip a beat and his sword was out in the blink of an eye. Reis took a second longer, and Rebecca fell on her behind.

"They sound like xenophages… Big ones." Albert muttered. "Reis, watch Rebecca, don't let her get into direct combat…!" Reis nods in response and quickly moves to guard an indignant Rebecca.

"I'll have you know that I can fight too! Hmph!" Rebecca retorts angrily as she stands back up. Drawing in a deep meditative breath, the Siren girl draws her rod into a chain-casting position. "I can chain-cast, so don't worry about me! I can handle a bug or two."

"Sounds like I'm going to have to take about 80 of them then… Because here they come!" A psyched up Reis yells. Wasting no time, Albert does a side flip, smashing his large sword onto the steel floor, creating a mana based shockwave that knocked many unseen skittering monsters even farther out of sight.

"Xenophages love to mess with machinery, stupid, mutated, mechanical/living, bug-things!" Albert says. "At least they aren't that strong." Albert brought his left fist up to swat a large biometallic insectoid creature that was lunging at the back of his head. He quickly brought his sword down in a continuing motion to cut one of them in half, the monster's mechanical sounding cries filling the hallway, going reasonably unheard among the rest of the noise caused by the still living ones in the swarm.

Reis was slicing them in half left and right, while Albert was doing the same. Rebecca summoned a small cloud of leaves that rushed through one of the beasts, ripping it to shreds. Continuing her chain-casting, she then cast a spell that made a wooden spike pierce through one of them from the ground, and then disappearing moments after. Albert made a hand signal to Reis and she leapt in front of Albert, while he started charging light elemental energy to his sword.

"Now!" He yelled. Reis rolled out of the way, and with a cry of "Heavy Blade Beam!" Albert unleashed a large blast of energy from his sword along the ground, incinerating countless xenophages in a swathe of deadly light. After the beam ran it's course, Reis smirked.

"Whirlwind Ripper!" She yelled. She did a series of sword slashing cartwheels whilst a small storm whirled about her body and the bugs she had sliced.

After the dust had settled, the carnage was undeniable. With two attacks, one of the stronger ones in Albert's repertoire and Reis' strongest, they had nearly cleaned out the corridor. Rebecca's mouth was agape in awe at the power these two commanded.

"It's a good thing that they are relatively weak and use their numbers to attack, otherwise that would have been just a huge waste of energy…" Albert explained.

_Eheh… Could have fooled me!_ Rebecca thought whilst poking one of the bug corpses with the end of her rod nervously and curiously at the same time. _I'll trust Albert's judgement on things like these…I don't know monsters like him and Reis._

"So, where to now, Al?" Reis said, flicking the bug 'guts' off of her sword and sheathing it at her hip. "I need to get the xeno-tech oil out of my dress before it stains too much."

"Don't worry about it, I'll pick up one for you later. Either that or some detergent." Albert said off-handedly. "Besides, there are a few valuable minerals in this mess. We can also gather vials of the xeno-oil for lubricating our armor and weapons." Albert bent down with a collection vial, a small liquid vacuum, and started filling them with the strange oil. Reis agreed and opened the pack on her hip, mimicking his actions at a different mess of bug chunks.

"Pardon me, but can't you get this stuff in town?" Rebecca asked Albert quizzically, still poking a bug.

"Hm? Oh, yeah." He responded. "It's a lot better when you get it from the damn things themselves though."

"Cheaper too." Reis added. Rebecca nodded in understanding, and decided to analyze the chemical properties of the oil, seeing as she had the time to do that.

_Hm… It's organic yet synthetic at the same time…_She thought, rubbing a small amount between the tips of her fingers. _And when I run gaea mana through it, I can sense the presence of nano-machines. I suppose that's what allows for them to 'live' and 'breathe' as well as reproduce. I think I'll take a sample myself._ So she did.

"The problem is, you usually need to purify it a little bit before using it, or the dead nano-machines will make the oil all chunky and worthless." Albert explained. "It takes a couple days for that to happen though, so we should be fine." Standing up, Albert put the vials of oil in his hip pack and dusted himself off, and running a small diagnostics program on his power fist, and making sure he didn't get any crap in its mechanics. Then, he pulled out a fold up circular disc-like object about eight centimeters in diameter, and after a few button presses, it brought up a holographic display that was a three-dimensional map of the service tunnels of Alexandria, with a dot pointing out his location.

"Right, let's go. We got a ways to go, and there are likely more cute critters in these tunnels waiting to greet us with all sorts of love…" He stated dryly. "And I'm sure boss man is getting impatient, even though we've only been down here for…" He looks at a watch he pulled from his pack. "Fifteen minutes, give or take."

From there, the trip was relatively uneventful, give or take a few goblins that thought that they would win against the trio. Albert once again proved his immense strength by getting a strike with a random screaming goblin he threw at the rest. Reis cutting down a few goblins that made it past Albert and his Power Fist o' Doom, and his Regular Fist O' Ouch-that-hurt. Rebecca poked a few goblins that were strewn about.

"Al, how much farther?" Reis asked. Albert shrugged and popped out the Holomap again. He used the keys to adjust the view, and scrolled towards the destination.

"We still got a ways to go…" He answered. "But when we get the generators up and running again we can ride the service elevators to where we need to go." Rebecca was silent throughout, her excessively paranoid thoughts about Albert and Reis' relationship keeping her already limited attention at the moment.

Albert led the group from his position at point, the light of the holomap illuminating the dim pathways of the understructure of Alexandria. Albert was having a conversation with Reis off to the side about something that Rebecca couldn't quite pick up, but with the knowledge she gained about him in the brief time she's known him, it was likely about business, and that was calming to her, but nagging doubts remained. They continued onward in the dim tunnels to the generators, without incident.

Yakyu Hama-Shima was having a great morning. Her uncle gave her a birthday present, one that she was not expecting… The Hosenka. She remembers clearly what her uncle said at her reaction to the gift.

"_My little blossom has bloomed into a wonderful flower… It is only fitting that you get the Fire Flower that has been passed down for generations by this family, regardless of whether you stay here in the Hama-Shima Islands or not."_

She drew the blade, examining it again. It was much straighter than a regular katana, and a bit shorter. The blade was a flawless silver with engravings of flowers near the crossguard, and the pommel adorned with engraved cherry blossoms. She learned a long time ago that the blade was forged with an affinity for fire mana, something that she could take advantage of, considering that her element was fire as well. Shrugging off the whys for now, the young elven kunoichi headed to the city square, where a small festival was taking place in her honor.

It was a typical Hama-Shima fare, with ancient games being played, stands for winning prizes, food in excess… Yep, her uncle was behind this. He was always treating her like a princess when her parents died while in service to the Emperor. She didn't blame the Emperor for that because the rebellion called for him to rally soldiers for the cause, and Hama-Shima has always provided powerful agents for their cause. Besides, she met the man when little and found him to be a good ruler, if a bit lazy.

Yakyu was broken from her little walk through memory lane by one of her Kunoichi peers. She smiled at her friends, but inwardly was somewhat saddened by their presence at this time. They would try to get her to hook up with one of the guys at the festival, but she would turn all the men down. Her friends meant well, but their targets were not of the same mindset that she was.

"Yakyu! C'mon, let's have some fun, girl! This WAS thrown for you, y'know!" One of the elven kunoichi said.

"Chikaru, you know how I feel about these festivals thrown for me…" Yakyu groaned. "They treat me like a princess, and it makes me uncomfortable. I wanna be treated like a normal person for once…"

"Girl, you ARE a princess!" her friend exclaimed. "You'd have to go to Seles for that!" Yakyu started thinking at what her friend just said.

"You know, I might just do that…" She muttered, earning small gasps from the two kunoichi. "It's annoying being waited on all the time here. Princess this, Princess that, it makes me feel that I'm not a person, just… Just an object to worship…" The two kunoichi frowned, understanding what she was saying. They were nobles too, but not the caliber of Yakyu. Her last name is the same as the continent's for god's sake…!

"You know your uncle won't go for that…" The other kunoichi, Sasami pointed out.

"I already figured that." Yakyu deadpanned. "He'll just have to deal with it, now that I'm an adult and capable of making my own decisions."

"Yeah, that'll fly well." Chikaru snorted. "He'll tear the planet apart looking for your well shaped ass."

"Yeah, I know my ass is nice. You and those men won't stop reminding me." Yakyu said wryly. "It doesn't bug me when you hit on me though, Sasami. So don't worry. You know I'm straight." Sasami did an over acted I-was-rejected scene that she does every time Yakyu pointed out she was lesbian. After she was done, she just shrugged.

"There are a lot of other sexy ladies in the galaxy, but you'll always be the prettiest flower in my eyes!" Sasami said cheerfully, pinching Yakyu's nose playfully.

"Alright girl, so what are you going to do about your uncle?" Chikaru asked. "Are you going to outright tell him that you're leaving, or are you just gonna hitch a ride on the next airship that docks down in Namikaze?"

"I… Think I'll tell him… If he tries to stop me from leaving, well… I'll just have to improvise from there, I guess."

"Well, in any case, I think you should actually enjoy the festival for once." Chikaru said, changing the subject. "If anything, go take a run in the arena. I'm pretty sure you'll do well!"

"I've never been in the arena before… Well that's 'cuz I wasn't old enough then, but now I am! Let's do it!" Yakyu responded in earnest.

The Grand Arena in Hama-Shima was where all sorts of fighters tested their mettle, settled disputes, proved honor and so forth. It is not open to the general public during the year normally, but on days like this one, it was open season to sign up for the tournament. Yakyu could barely contain her excitement! The only problems she had were the looks of surprise she got from the receptionist at the counter at The Lady Hama-Shima showing up for a bloody and dangerous contest such as that one. Yakyu gave the elven woman a glare that would set ice on fire and encountered no further comments about the subject. Yakyu was in the third round. To the young elven kunoichi, her turn could not come fast enough. However, her turn eventually came around and she could finally stop hyperventilating in excitement. She checked all of her equipment, made sure her new ninja-to was fastened properly to her hip, examined her technique scrolls, and then walked out when her name was called.

Yakyu walked out to the center of the arena floor with a predatory look on her face. She loved combat, but she hated killing. This was a perfect place for that combination. Her opponent was a Titan from the continent, and looked incredulously at his opponent.

"My opponent is this cabbage headed bimbo?" He asked the referee, who rather hurriedly scooted away from Yakyu, since he had seen what the woman has done to anyone who called her a bimbo before. He felt his heart stop when he saw the sickly sweet smile on her face and decided to get the hell out of there as soon as possible.

"Opponents, prepare yourself!" No point in saying that really, it was more of a tradition. "Threetwoonegobye!!!" The ref yelled before booking it somewhere else rather ungracefully.

"You're gonna pay for that insult before, meat head!" Yakyu said before moving at speeds that trained warriors would have trouble keeping up with. She tried a direct charge that feinted into a flank attack with her shuriken, but the Titan's armor was too resilient for that. The titan male was stunned at the woman's speed. He knew she would be quick, being a ninja and all, but this was borderline ridiculous!

Seeing an opportunity when she was finished with her shuriken salvo, he performed a quick, wide sweep with his massive sword, with a result he wasn't expecting, but inwardly happy he got to witness. Yakyu had bent backwards in a display of flexibility that would make a few contortionists proud, the massive blade sweeping past her face and assets by mere inches. To keep fluidity in her movements, she then backflipped a few times to gain some distance from the big metal thing o'doom. Sasami and Chikaru were in awe; the latter for her grace and dexterity, and the former for other reasons…

Yakyu took the time during her flips to charge up her mana for a fire spell. It was one of her favorites.

"Fireball!" She declared, launching a fireball from her palm about the size of a basketball rapidly towards her opponent. The man had no time to dodge or block, and wound up taking the blast directly.

Anthony DePellegrini Page 5 4/15/2010


	5. Chapter 5

AN: OK, I usually don't do this for SG, but I think I'll make an exception this time… An author's note! Ohhh yeeaaaah….! When you guys review, I really like to hear opinions on characters, and if you told me your gender in the first review, I can figure out which demographic likes that character and analyze what makes that character popular among them. Course, at the time I'm whipping out this chapter, there's only been one reviewer, but oh well. Also, please note that I like to jump around the POV a lot; it keeps the plot moving quickly for me, (and it keeps me from getting bored with that one single vantage point in the story.) and gives the feeling of the large scope the story will encompass.

Now, I will list the current main characters in the story that have been introduced, as well as ages and race, etc.

*Names will only be provided if they have been listed in the story*

*Protagonists*

Albert Leonne Vitrussi (Main character)

Age: 18  
Race: Avalean

Gender: Male

Height: 6'

Weight: 187 lbs

Eye Color: Avalean Green

Hair Color: Light Brown

Political Affiliation: Soh-Nohs Empire

Weapon/s: Bastard Sword, Power Fist

Element: Light

Rebecca Falgabrand Halstadt

Age: 21

Race: Siren

Gender: Female

Height: 5'4"

Weight: 106 lbs

Eye Color: Siren Purple

Hair Color: Dark Brown

Political Affiliation: ?

Weapon/s: Combat Rod

Element: Gaea

Reisaria Diana Artea (Reis)

Age: 17

Race: Avalean

Gender: Female

Height: 5'8"

Weight: 145 lbs

Eye Color: Avalean Green

Hair Color: Cerulean Blue

Political Affiliation: ?

Weapon/s: Longsword

Element: Wind

Yakyu Hama-Shima

Age: 18

Race: Elf

Gender: Female

Height: 5'7"

Weight: 131 lbs

Eye Color: Elven Blue

Hair Color: Emerald Green

Political Affiliation: Hama-Shima Clan (Soh-Nohs Empire)

Weapon/s: Katana, ko-dachi, Kunai, Windmill Shuriken, Shuriken, Senbon, Explosive Notes, Ninja Wire

Element: Fire

*Antagonists*

Martin Athrys

Age: 326

Race: Neko-kin

Gender: Male

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 205 lbs

Eye Color: Gold

Hair Color: Pale Blonde

Political Affiliation: Mercenary (Shigei Corporation)

Weapon/s: Twin Rapier

Element: Wind

Deimos

Age: ?

Race: Avalean

Gender: Male

Height: 5'11

Weight: 175 lb

Eye Color: ?

Hair Color: Brown

Political Affiliation: Shigei Corporation (Rising Dusk)

Weapon/s: ?

Element: ?

Hanatarou Shigei

Age: 17,456

Race: Avalean

Gender: Male

Height: 5'10"

Weight: 175 lbs

Eye Color: Avalean Green  
Hair Color: Black

Political Affiliation: Shigei Corporation

Weapon/s: Plasma Blade "GERYON"

Element: Earth

Gotou Hasenshi

Age: 2,346

Race: Avalean

Gender: Male

Height: 6'5"

Weight: 275 lbs

Eye Color: Avalean Green

Hair Color: Dirty Blonde

Political Affiliation: Mercenary Guild

Weapon/s: Vibration Mazer Blade "Balthazar"

Element: Star

*Unknown*

The Blonde Priest

Age: 23,455

Race: Avalean

Gender: Male

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 165 lbs

Eye Color: Avalean Green

Hair Color: Golden Blonde

Political Affiliation: ?

Weapon/s: ?

Element: ?

Emperor Soh-Nohs

Age: 100,000+

Race: Avalean

Gender: Male

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 172 lbs

Eye Color: Avalean Green

Hair Color: Brown

Political Affiliation: (duh)

Weapon/s: Ganymede (longsword), Ymir Hammer (Railgun)

Element/s: Earth, Light

That's all for characters as of now, other named characters are minor and will likely never be seen again.

Chapter 5: Alexandria's Underworld, part Deux

Rebecca looked on in wonder as Albert attempted to hack his way through a door that didn't open with the provided keycard. Mumbling something to himself something about '…goblins… smash them… giant mallet…' as he worked somewhat angrily on the keypad.

"Um, Reis?" Rebecca asked the blue haired young woman. Reis woke up from her space-fest and addressed the Gaean Ascetic with a smile. "What _can't_ Albert do…?" Reis frowned for a moment and thought it over.

"Well, it's a short list, I suppose…" She sighed. She then grinned and added, "But understanding how the female mind works is one of them, hehe." Not looking up from his work, Albert quipped in a deadpan.

"I don't even think the female mind is able to understand the female mind…" He said. "Otherwise, there would be no need for divorce, or dating for that matter."

"Oh, and the _male_ mind is complex?" Reis huffed back, hands on her hips. "_I _can't understand the male mind!"

"What is there to understand?" Albert asked, looking up from the monitor back at the ladies. "Men are simple beings at heart, but the female mind _refuses_ to acknowledge that fact, and therefore overcomplicates things."

"You don't seem that simple." Rebecca pointed out simply.

"I guess you're right." Albert shrugged as he resumed his code breaking. "We are much more open in our intentions, however."

"I think those ladies that were mobbing you earlier were _quite_ clear in their intentions…" Rebecca snickered, seeing Albert visibly shudder for a moment before shaking his head. "See? It _isn't_ so simple, now is it?"

"… Women…" Albert grumbled in defeat. The ladies shared a giggle at the poor young man's expense, but stopped when Albert declared that he was done, with the proof in the door opening at the press of a button.

"Okay, we're still a ways off from the generators, so keep your eyes peeled…" Albert said. "I'm beginning to think that we have more than goblins to deal with here."

"What makes you say that?" Rebecca asks, cocking her head to the side innocently. It was Reis who answered though.

"Goblins aren't smart enough to reprogram a door like this, or any for that matter." Reis explained. "So, a human species has to be involved in one way or another, probably a Siren. No offense."

"None taken. I know that most of my kind are really good with electronics." Rebecca responded. "I'm not one of them." She adds with a grimace.

"I, however, am." Albert said over his shoulder with a cheeky grin. "I'm not the best, but I get around. Reis is no slouch either, she has known me for nine years, after all."

_"__**Nine**__ years…? I'm TOTALLY screwed! I have no chance against the childhood friend aspect! NOOOOOOOOOOO!"_ Rebecca screamed internally, her face betraying nothing other than the normal air headedness she shows normally. _"I must put contingency plans in place! Muahahahahahahahah!"_

The tunnel eventually led to an open room with a large water reservoir. Albert, with his hands behind his head, walked onto the catwalk casually. Inwardly, however, he was going over the possibilities of what may be lurking around. He hadn't been down this far before, so he had no idea what was looking to make a meal of him and the two lovely ladies following him.

_ "Fat chance I'd let that happen_._"_ He thought.

"See anything Al?" Reis yelled over the noise of the water, after a minute of walking. Albert answered by turning and nodding his head 'no' whilst shrugging. However, he sensed something was lurking somewhere along the metal ceilings in the shadow where the florescent lights didn't reach. A large bat-like monster swooped down to attack Albert, the leader and make a potential meal out of him. Now, the brown-haired young man had other ideas.

Namely, ducking.

The whole thing went unnoticed by the two women until they heard the screech and saw Albert duck quickly. Feeling that the action seemed to be wise, they did the same thing, Reis quickly drawing her sword after the fact. Albert didn't even bother. He motioned for the ladies to get off the catwalk. Reis started to protest but Albert shot her a fierce look and gave her an order.

"Just go on ahead." He said with authority. "This won't be a problem for me at all. The job is more important than a single Buer."

Reis nodded and dragged the confused Rebecca along the catwalk past her leader shouting good wishes and threats if he died or got hurt as she ran by. Albert just grinned broadly and waved them off before vaulting down off the catwalk onto a wider surface near the reservoir, landing with a loud clang as his boots impacted on the metal plate. Albert still hadn't drawn his sword, forgoing it for hand-to-hand combat this time.

Albert got into his unarmed combat stance, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet, although never actually leaving the ground. His right shoulder facing the enemy; a complete switch from his sword stance where his left shoulder faces his target/s, along with his Power Fist which he uses for defensive purposes in that stance. His left arm was held aloft, parallel to his face, elbow pointing behind him and slightly closed hand directly next to his face. His right arm was in a defensive position slightly in front of him, palm facing his body and slightly opened.

The buer that Albert was facing was a fine example of the size the species can reach when lucky; though not as big as the Drake Marquis he brought down not even six hours ago; their quickness is not to be underestimated. So, the oversized sword that Albert normally uses on foes that are easier to hit (relatively speaking, of course) will not be used for this reason. Albert grimaced as he noted that the equipment around him was somewhat allergic to getting blown up, so he'd have to lay off the more… Destructive… Spells and techniques that he usually uses.

"Alright, handsome!" Albert taunted. "Let's party!"

Almost as if it understood, the bat-like beast obliged, launching itself at Albert with a screech, talons bared. Albert smirked as he ducked the predictable attack, and planting his hands on the metallic surface of the reservoir. Using his unrealistic strength, even further augmented by the Power Fist on his left arm, pushed upwards with his arms and kicked the beast in the abdomen with both legs, sending it upwards, partially smacking into the catwalk above.

Seeing that the technique worked as planned, Albert gracefully got out of his handstand as if it were a simple somersault, and bounced twice on his feet while loosening up his arms before getting back into his stance. The stunned buer quickly regained its breath and started casting a dark magic spell. Albert's eyebrow quirked up in amusement, and changed his stance, holding the power fisted arm directly in front of him, palm opened and facing the buer. Albert quickly purged the fist as an afterthought, creating a small puff of mana-steam from the heat-sinks.

The bat-beast screeched and cast the spell, Black Javelin. It's the darkness element equivalent to Force Spear, which Albert used to save Rebecca from the Marquis at the last second. The purple-black beam of energy surged forward from a glyph in front of the creature in Albert's direction, the aim impeccable.

Instead of striking Albert's outstretched hand, the beam of dark mana impacted a previously unseen force field of mana three centimeters away that Albert had put up to protect against magic. Thankfully, it wasn't something that was overly powerful, or he would have been drained of his stamina and mana stores more than he would have cared, or even worse; the shield could have been shattered, sending him into a temporary mana-shock as the sudden forceful withdrawal of mana would have been amplified negatively by his power fist. Mana-shock would have left him vulnerable to any additional attacks from the buer; spells included.

Albert readied himself for an attack, his gauntlet purging again. He utilized Distortion-Step, or D-step, to quickly approach the recovering buer. Energy started freely flowing from the power fist, almost from a constant purge as Albert cocked his fist back, body extremely low to the ground, almost like a cheetah in pursuit.

"Spiiiiral… UPPERCUT!" He announced, a large burst of energy being purged from the gauntlet, having a propulsion effect and increasing his punching power even more still; rotating his body as he did a mighty ascending uppercut with as much force as he could muster without leaving himself totally helpless after the fact.

The fearsome technique struck home, hitting the bat-like creature in the chin, shattering it instantly, as well as separating the spinal cord from the base of it's skull, crushing ninety-nine percent of it's skull, and launching the already deceased creature straight up to the ceiling of the reservoir, impacting with an audible crunching bang, then falling to the floor, limp and lifeless. The only sounds were that of the machinery and the gauntlet doing a single, large purge; distorting the light from the heat this time around.

"Okay, that's done." Albert announced casually, placing his hands behind his head and stretching. "Now to catch up with the ladies…"

Yakyu was disappointed… Her fight with the titan man was fairly anti-climactic, seeing as he was carted out of the arena after one spell. Despite the cheers from her friends, she wasn't all that happy. Her other opponents were no more difficult either, usually falling after a single well-placed spell or technique. Her armor was scratched a couple times though. _That's_ something she was impressed with, because either her opponent was _really_ lucky at that single moment (fighting her at all would normally constitute of bad luck) and landed a light cutting strike on her shoulder, or was actually skilled enough to keep up with the lightning quick kunoichi. Yakyu doubted the latter.

Removing her polycarbonate plastic armor, she examined it, rubbing the surface to get some of the soot, dirt, and blood off with the palm of her fingerless gloves. Hama-Shima armor provides perfect protection to its shinobi, being flexible, light, and having an excellent design. Augustus Reinhardt of the R&D for the Soh-Nohs Empire, along with several high ranking Hama-Shima Shinobi worked together in order to create the perfect armor for its forces. The results spoke for themselves.

Sighing, unable to do anything about the scratches marring the armor, she put it back on and buckled the straps on the arms, holding it in place, and snapping the clasps on the front in place, securing the neck as well. After the tournament (which she won), she received permission to go and fetch the projectiles that she had utilized mid battle, discarding any that were impossible to service.

"Ugh… Couldn't they give better rewards for winning a tournament…?" Yakyu complained, as she licked an ice cream. "Sure, I like the huge-ass trophy, but the credit reward was really pointless in the grand scheme of things…"

"Oh, you whine too much, Yakyu-hime!" Sasami purred, hugging the green haired kunoichi around her neck from behind playfully. Yakyu just swatted at her mindlessly and resumed eating her frozen dairy treat. "Aww… Well, anyway, look at it like this: you can use the cash during your journey!" Yakyu looked at her lesbian friend, melted ice cream rimming her mouth.

"Yeah, but I'm going to have to use some of that to get replacement plates for my armor…" She said, not showing any particular care in having ice cream on her face. "Even if they are just scratches. It bugs me."

"I guess so… We haven't had the opportunity to have that problem." Chikaru said sadly. Yakyu noisily licked the ice cream off her lips and frowned.

"Oh, don't worry." She said, putting her hand on her fellow kunoichi's shoulder. "I'm sure uncle is just waiting for the right mission to send you on. Things have been really slow, after all."

"Yup." Sasami mumbled. "Not even any creatures are bugging the cities, and OWECs are out of the question since we don't have any of those on Forcena…"

"Yeesh, I'd have hated to be around when _those_ were a problem…" Chikaru announced, scrunching up her face in disgust. "Not only that, but there weren't any planetary Mana Gates! Travelling must have taken, like, forever!"

Yakyu only nodded, seeing as she had just dived back into her ice cream: Pomegranate Berry Cream Swirl. She smiled in delight, flowers seeming to float around her as she enjoyed the dairy treat. Her friends knew the procedure to this, and just acted like they normally did; her ecstasy would subside in a while. That, or she'll scarf the rest of it down. The only snag with the latter of the solutions was the large bag of credits sitting two and a half feet in front of her. She was gonna binge, dammit! Those opponents were too easy! What better way for a girl to fill a void in her soul but with her favorite ice cream? Precisely.

"Yakyu, if you eat any more, those calories will just go to your chest!" Chikaru eventually pointed out. "And soon, you'll need a new bustier…!" Yakyu blushed a bit in response, but continued to fervently eat her ice cream.

"Pft, I'm just jealous." Sasami pouted. "She has the biggest chest of any elf that _I_ know…"

"I think she uses them as a counterbalance…" Chikaru deadpanned. "How else could she be that much better than us…?" Yakyu gulped her current mouthful of ice cream loudly, and raised her hand innocently.

"Um… I practice…? A lot…?" She answered**/**asked. "Really though, I think my girls get in the way a lot… I have to run a specific way so they don't bounce so much…" Sasami looked pensive, and a perverted grin spread across her face, along with a trickle of drool. Chikaru noticed this and just rolled her eyes and scoffed before slapping her lesbian friend on the back of the head. Chikaru decided to return to the original topic, asking the proverbial question:

"Yakyu, what _are_ you going to do with the money…?"

To be continued…


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Calm Before the Storm

_ "Does Man wage the War, or does the War wage the Man…?"_

_ -Normand Graystone_

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Kain took a good look at the green, rolling plains of Samsara; taking secret delight in seeing the verdant plant life thriving as it is. The armored mage noticed a small bird land on his knee, singing cheerfully. Kain Vitrussi, like his younger brother, has wild brown hair and sharp facial features. Some might even say the faces of the brothers were… Feminine. Regardless of that fact, Kain had legions of women tailing him at the Templar Academy on Hiserius Prime.

Kain smiled at the chirping bird before focusing his attention on the sky of Samsara. There is no such thing as night on that planet; the two stars in that system saw to that. Rather, there was day followed by what most would consider a combination of dusk and dawn. The orbit of Samsara is around that of a star similar to Sol, yellow and average in size; Rakshini Two. What gives Samsara the perpetual daylight is the brown dwarf that is orbiting farther away from Rakshini Two. As a result, the planet was cast in daylight on one side, and a serene dusk on the other. Another thing that Kain admired was the several moons that orbited this planet, as well as the large ring that was present.

It was sad that this tranquility was about to be shattered. The small faction of Halvak had laid claim to this planet, blatantly ignoring the Interstellar Territorial Treaty that has been in existence since the founding of the Soh-Nohs Empire, as well as the formation of the Order of the Templae. All factions are supposed to adhere to this treaty in order to prevent wars from breaking out over unclaimed, independent planets because of short-sighted acts of expanding territory. In order to infer a planet into a faction's territory, the proper rules must be adhered to.

Obviously, Halvak didn't go through these channels. Otherwise, Kain wouldn't be here with several other fellow Templar captains in full outfit ready to attack the outpost that was established by the ambitious nation. Kain frowned at the destruction that would be wreaked upon the genosphere by the upcoming battles; despite knowing that it was necessary. Halvak would start developing Samsara at a rate the planet would not be able to sustain, effectively killing the planet off. The political turmoil from the collapse of a planet's civilization would result in worldwide rioting and a massive loss in life, not to mention the previously noted destruction of the planet's ecosystems.

In Kain's mind, a small sacrifice is worth saving a whole planet from being destroyed before it's time. Besides, as long as there are survivors, scars on the genosphere can recover, given enough time. When this was over, Kain would have to see about having a Templae presence permanently stationed at this planet to deter future invasion, as well as for psychological therapy. The beautiful landscape deserved to be admired by all who wished, and such beauty can ease the most troubled of hearts.

Kain was roused from his musings by the armored footsteps of his tactician, Komura Muramoto. The man was a native of the Shiden Combine, as evident by his eyelids, skin tone, and brilliantly black hair. Half of his face was obscured by a wave of the black hair, and a rogue strand placing itself between his nose and uncovered left eye. His earpiece communicator was present, as always. His armor was the typical color of the Templar Order: a grayish blue, with runic inscriptions here and there in strategic locations. He wore a synthetic dragonhide bodysuit underneath with synapse increasing biotics installed at the necessary points. The armor located on his left shoulder was larger and bulkier than the rest, due to containing the communications hardware as well as the three dimensional holographic computer display (or THCD for short) that allows him to be a tactical heavyweight on the field. On his hip was a small sub machinegun that fired bolts of mana at the target, as well as a tonfa that he used in close confrontations when unavoidable.

Kain stretched before standing up and nodding at his subordinate. Kain was slightly shorter than his brother at 5'11", despite being four years older. His long brown hair cascaded down the front and back of his armor wildly. His armor was much heavier than his tactician, covering most of his body much more thoroughly and evenly with the addition of a manticore thread cape, but exhibited the same general Templar attributes like the runes and being made of tempered adamantium. He reached around the tree that he was leaning against previously and grabbed an elaborately designed halberd that was designed to help focus his magical abilities in the most chaotic of battles. He pulled a latch on the head where the angular blade was mounted, and pressed a button that revealed itself. The halberd proceeded to alter itself for portability, folding in on itself; the pole removing itself from view entirely. He attached it to a place on his tasset using the gravitational device present.

"So, who's present now?" Kain asked lazily. Komura brought up an updated diagnostics screen and examined the current mustering of their forces.

"Currently, ninety-five percent of our forces are here and ready to depart." Komura responded curtly. "All we need after that is the command from General Shihonei and the operation will proceed, Captain."

"Hm. Right then." Kain said, scratching the back of his head out of habit. "Get Lanzer, Rouge, and the Arashi trio here and we can get ready."

"Immediately, Captain." Komura saluted and went off to his assigned task. Kain yawned sleepily, rubbing whatever sleepiness presented itself in his eyes. A few minutes later, Kain was nearly falling asleep when he was roused by a squeal of delight that could have cleared a city of dogs in mere seconds.

"KAIIIIIN! I _KNEW_ YOU LOVED MEEEEEEE!" The squealing girl, um… Squealed. Kain barely had the time to look on in absolute horror as a pink-haired Siren girl launched herself at him in a flying hug, landing in an undignified heap next to the tree. Komura sighed in annoyance at the spectacle when he got close enough to see it.

"Get _off_ of him, Bubblegum!" An irate voice yelled. A man with chlorine-bleached blonde hair walked up and pried the overly-affectionate girl off of Kain. "He doesn't need that kind of stress before an operation…!"

"Shut it, Bucketface!" The siren girl snapped back. "I'll blast you to Etruria so fast, you won't even realize what happened until the sonic boom catches up to you!"

"Rouge... Lanzer…" Kain feebly interjected.

"**WHAT!**" The bickering templars shouted back.

"Erm… Nothing…?" Kain answered nervously.

Rouge Satteau is a typical example of a Siren, at least physically speaking. Since Sirens have such weak and frail bodies, they often get modifications to alleviate that. Rouge has been heavily cyberized for combat, the evidence shown in the two mirroring lines that are placed on her cheek, as well as her left arm's ability to shift form and function on the fly. Her pink eyes are the tell-tale sign of being a Siren. She has long pink hair that goes down to her lower back, and has freckles right below her eyes and on the bridge of her nose. She doesn't wear much in the way of armor, rather preferring the white robes of the Order and a white headwrap and facemask. Being mostly machine, she doesn't need much in the way of armor. She had been born in the Shiden Combine, but spent most of her life in the Soh-Nohs Empire.

Lanzer Gespenst has chlorine-bleached blonde hair that is almost permanently swept forward, as if a heavy tailwind blasted it that way. Like the nickname Bucketface suggests, he frequently wears a heavy rebreather type mask that covers his lower face and nose. His armor is relatively basic, consisting of bracers, cuirass, and greaves; all Templar make. His weaponry consists of a Soh-Nohs make pulseblade and a Soh-Nohs Magi-Handgun. A pulseblade is a hilt when not in use, but when turned on; a solid blade of energy is formed from mana that is crystallized from an internal power source. Due to the nature of Mana, all pulseblades have an elemental affinity. Lanzer's blade is Earth, much like himself. Being from a Noble house in the Empire, Lanzer has had extensive sword training as well as scoring high with his marksman skills.

Kain sighed and waited for the last three of his personal squad to make their appearance. He wasn't disappointed.

"Wind!" A male voice shouted.

"Lightning!" An identical male voice shouted.

"No." A sultry female voice said.

"Never fear! The Storm Trio has ah-RRIIVED!" The two males shouted, with an annoyed "Shut up!" from the woman.

"Fuujin, Raijin!" The lycan woman roars. "How many times do I have to tell you to **NOT **do that?"

"But Suijin…!" "It's fuuuun…!" The lycan twins whimpered in turn.

"I don't care…! It's annoying the _hell_ outta me!" Suijin snarls back, baring a long canine tooth.

Suijin is the elder sister of the Storm Trio, and a lycan. She has pale blonde hair tied up in a short pony tail that is close to being a topknot, with two large bangs framing her face. Like a large number of lycans, she is heterochromatic and one of her eyes is brown with the other being a pale blue. Her dog-like ears are perched on the top of her head, twitching occasionally. She wears a tight white trench coat with blue trim that accentuates her curvy figure. At this moment, she is not wearing her face mask and it's hanging loosely from her neck. On her left shoulder is a pauldron that leads into a bracer; of Templar make, of course. On her back is a massive Zanbatou that is currently folded up for semi-portability.

Fuujin and Raijin have generally identical outfits and appearances, except that their vests and black bodysuits have trim associated with their elements: Fuujin has green trim, and Raijin has yellow trim. Also, the twins' eyes are mirrored, with Fuujin having a brown left eye and teal right eye and Raijin having the opposite. Their messy pale blonde hair is accentuated by the dog ears placed on their heads. Fuujin has a pair of clawed gauntlets while Raijin has an assault rifle equipped with a bayonet.

"I keep wondering why I asked to transfer to your unit, Captain…" Komura said in exasperation. "The pay is nice, but I'm wondering if it's worth it…"

"I know how you feel Komura… But _I_ can't just request a transfer…" Kain whined. "So I'll just go and hide whenever this kind of thing happens…"

"I echo that sentiment." Komura agreed in a deadpan. "At least they are effective in combat. More so than others, I'd believe."

"Well, since we're supposed to be a team, these sorts of things keep them from working together." Kain pointed out. "I mean, it's not _always_ like this, but…"

Kain dodged an errant boot that somehow managed to achieve projectile status in a vector that would have included his face as an obstacle by ducking lazily. His eyebrow started to twitch angrily at the ruckus the five were causing.

Another major difference between Kain and Albert is their ability to reign in their tempers. Albert has a very short fuse and an explosive temper, and in comparison Kain appears to be very demure. But even HE has limits, and his temper is just as explosive as his younger brother's…

Sadly, Kain just reached _his_ limit.

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Several minutes later, the five previously fighting members of Kain's personal squad were nursing several lumps, split lips, bruises, and magic burns. There was a _reason_ Kain was a Captain at such a young age: his abilities.

"What did we learn, children…?" Kain asked, cracking his knuckles together with a wicked grin adorning his face. Seeing them cringe, he smiled even more wickedly. "Good!"

"You guys never learn, do you…?" Komura asked impassively. The twins grinned cheekily while Rouge managed to reconnect her left arm and reattach the loosened panels on her cyborg body. Suijin was pulling Lanzer from the tree by his legs, (seeing as he somehow got lodged into it…) the mask wearing man crying in despair. Komura smirked and shook his head in disappointment.

"Well, don't let me keep you from your activities." He added, walking towards his commander.

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Kain had walked into a command tent, his previous anger abating. He saw one of the Triumvirate looking over some files on a hologram. The only female member of the Triumvirate, the Grand General: Sayasha Shihonei. From what Kain remembered, she was an obstinate, cold hearted bitch. Despite that personality, she was dedicated to serving justice to those who deserved it.

She was easy to spot and recognize, due to her half dyed red hair which was spiked up in the back, as well as her short stature, permanent scowl, and her black and white colored Fortuna model Aegis power armor. Her legendary weapon, Kaleidoscope, is a whip-sword. She is a master of the weapon, being able to control the movement of the blade segments; even underground when the situation called for it. She looked up at the perpetually sleepy looking Captain and he saluted her.

"Vitrussi. What was the commotion earlier?" She asked firmly. Kain sighed and scratched his head in embarrassment before steeling himself and wiping the emotion from his face.

"My apologies, General. My subordinates felt it necessary to disagree on everything, so I felt it necessary to step in and punish them for their behavior…" Kain reported. "I may have gone overboard by sticking Corporal Gespenst through the tree though…"

"You did. See that it doesn't come to that form of punishment again. I don't want to be hearing from the Gespenst family because of injuries their oldest son took _outside_ of combat." Saya sneered. "I do approve of your use of force on the others though. An ass kicking every now and then does wonders for soldier behavior."

Kain gulped at the accusatory look and started to sweat nervously.

"Anyway, our mission briefing will commence soon. Sit your lazy ass down and have your emotionless tactician take notes." She ordered, leaving no room for argument. Kain was the Captain of the Special Ops team, so he had to pay special attention to the briefing, or disaster could occur.

"This is either going to go very well, or we are going to die horribly…" Kain muttered. Komura nodded his agreement.

To be continued…


End file.
